Pilates For Life [DVD]

Pre owned DVD. Case a little tatty but DVD itself was fine. Exercises broken into sections with good warm up/down exercises. Darcy Bussel has lovely relaxing voice. I am sure this will complement my pilates class which I attend. DVD does not use any equipment other than a mat.

To start off with, I should admit that the last time I did any proper exercise, other than the occasional brisk walk, because I'm running late for something, was probably about 7 years ago. And even then, I took to working out like a horse would to hair dressing. The closest I'd coming to seeing the inside of a gym would be during an episode of I Used To Be Fat.I'd been to see my doctor for a check up, who told me I had weak hip muscles and she suggested I try Pilates. I had heard of it. In all my time not doing any exercise, I have managed to squeeze in some reading of educational literature, including Cosmopolitan and Heat. However, I had absolutely no idea what it was and couldn't bare the thought of going along to a sports centre full of lycra clad super-model wannabes and embarrassing myself.So I jumped on to Amazon and started searching for a DVD that I thought I might get on with. I wasn't sure what it was that I was after, but I did know what I didn't want. I didn't want a DVD aimed at weight loss (I'm one of those disgusting people who can eat the combined body weight of the 6 nations rugby teams in 1 sitting and not put on a pound), nor one with an overly enthusiastic american/canadian/australian, nor one that was targeted at just beginners, where you would therefore be forced into buying a whole series of DVDs.That's what attracted me to this one. Firstly, it didn't make claims of dropping X number of dress sizes in Y number of months. Secondly, Darcy Bussel is English and has a lovely soft voice (you can hear her interviewed on youtube) and finally it was 'for life'.When it arrived, I put it on and fell in love. Darcy Bussel was a ballet dancer and therefore performs the exercises gracefully. She doesn't patronise, nor does she spend the whole time telling you to inhale and exhale. She explains the exercises clearly so I don't even need to look at the screen. She doesn't perform the exercises and talk at the same time, but instead talks over with some lovely, relaxing classic music.The DVD has a full warm-up and warm-down and then a main programme (1 hour) and a mini programme (15 minutes). The main programme is divided into 6 sections, so you can either play them all at once or pick and choose what you like. The sections are abdominals, stretching and sitting (for flexibility), four-point kneeling (for balance and your bum), prone (further stretching, particularly for your back), balancing and lifting (for your thighs) and arms. The mini programme takes a couple of exercises from each section and puts them together.The first time I did this, I over optimistically put on the full programme. It was hard going, but the order is well suited so that when you're getting to the point where you fear you may be dying, she moves on to another part of the body. Day 2, I did the mini programme only. Day 3, I did the mini programme and 1 of the sections from the main programme (with the warm up and warm down, this made about 45 minutes). Have I seen results? Like you wouldn't believe. On the first day, she asked me to curl myself down as far as I could, aiming for the floor. I could reach about half way down calves. Olympic gymnasts, eat your heart out. By day 2, I could just about touch my toes. By day 3, not only could I easily touch my toes, but I can place my hands flat on my feet. Ok, so I'm not as flexible as Darcy, but give me time.Not only am I gobsmacked by how quickly I've seen results, but more importantly, it's made me want to exercise! I feel so could after doing this, that it's addictive. My muscles feel firmer, my bum's definitely perter and my posture has gone through an almost magically transformation. Who knew I was so tall?Absolutely, 100%, worth every penny.

As someone who has dabbled with various exercise DVDs and videos over the years and never stuck with them, I can't express enough how refreshingly different this one is. No thumping music or graphics, no flashy sets and most importantly an instructor who doesn't feel the need to talk or shout in a 'motivational' fashion all the way through it. Darcey is elegant and calm and explains everything simply and concisely.I was a complete beginner to Pilates when I bought this DVD, and a few reviewers have expressed the opinion that it is not suitable for beginners and indeed may lead to injury, but provided you watch closely how Darcey does things and watch the key points section, you should be okay. Of course, you should exercise your own judgement as to whether you think a particular exercise is suitable for you or not. For example, I have a long standing cartilage problem in my right knee, so I sit out the 'sphinx into a roll-up' exercise, because I know that sitting right back on my knees like that would do more harm than good.The full workout itself is effective, but not overly difficult. There are some quite challenging exercises, particularly in the abdominal section, but they are do-able and well worth persevering with. What I love most about the programme is the way that it is interspersed with some truly wonderful stretches which feel absolutely blissful, especially when they come after some of the more challenging exercises. I wholeheartedly agree with Darcey when she says that she could do these stretches all day. They really do feel amazing. I always come away from a workout feeling energised, both physically and mentally.The music is calming and soothing and gives a meditative quality to the workout, which I am sure contributes to the feeling of mental clarity you are left with at the end.The only slight problem I have with the DVD, and the reason I could only give it four stars, is that I found it quite difficult to follow her timing. Now, I'm not terribly musical and perhaps the timing is quite obvious to most people when following the soundtrack, but I find that I have to keep watching the screen to keep to the same timing as her. If I don't I invariably end up either going too fast, or worse, too slow and not fitting in the right number of reps each time. But this is a small point and certainly doesn't interfere too much with my enjoyment of the programme.

Video adatto agli addetti ai lavori, ci credo che chi non lo sia lo trovi noioso e inutile. Gli esercizi sono 'faticosi' se i muscoli vengono ingaggiati nel modo giusto. Mostra proprio le basi! Però è un buono spunto. Un pò troppo lento in effetti, anche se potrebbe aiutare ad entrare nello spirito del pilates: movimenti lenti, fluidi e controllati coordinati al respiro. Pochi lo capiscono perché il pilates ormai è tutta una fusione con il fitness: musica dinamica, velocità, ripetizioni. Questo video mostra le basi del pilates classico. Comunque troppo lento davvero :) unica stonatura, peccato!

Un excellent DVD pour se muscler en douceur ! Moi qui déteste courir dans tous les sens sur une musique trop rapide, ce DVD est parfait !Sur une musique douce très agréable, les mouvements sont bien expliqués et les muscles « tirent » rapidement signe qu ils travaillent.Il y a 6 « paramètres à travailler » soit les uns derrière les autres, soit en individuel.Je me suis concentrée pour l instant sur la partie abdominale et 10 jours après (1 séance tous les jours) le ventre est plus musclé, donc plus plat.Ce DVD est en anglais, mais les phrases sont tellement simples que même un petit niveau peut les comprendre. En plus les mouvements sont suffisamment explicites par eux-mêmes.Le meilleur DVD parmi tous ceux que j ai acheté, en tous les cas le seul qui ne me donne pas envie de jeter l éponge.Je recommande...

Awesome video

Really good dvd also has a section for if you don't have too much time. Good warm ups and cool downs, I really like it.

Diese DVD kann ich sehr empfehlen! Der Preis ist gepreffert, aber das ist auch schon mein einziger Kritikpunkt.Ansonsten habe ich nur Lob für Darcey: Warm up und Cool Down wurden am Strand vor einer wunderbaren Kulisse gedreht, die Begleitmusik ist durchgehend schön, nicht aufdringlich. Darcey erklärt alle Übungen genau und führt sie langsam - und mit der ihr als Primaballerina eigenen Grazie - aus: Ideal für alle Pilates-Neulinge und "Schreibtischtäter", die sich bisher nicht viel mit ihrem Körper beschäftigt haben.Die DVD ist so unterteilt, dass man wählen kann zwischen einem Kurzprogramm, dass (mit Auf- und Abwärmen)ca. 30min dauert, und dem Main Program, welches 1 gute Stunde dauert. Auch aus dem Hauptprogramm kann man sich wiederum einzelne Sequenzen aussuchen, sodass somit wieder individuelle Trainingsprogramme entstehen. Nochmals extra anzuwählen sind die "Key Starter Points" in denen sie wichtige Grundhaltungen erklärt. Leider geht sie an keiner Stelle auf die Pilates-Atemtechnik ein. Aber ihr sei verziehen, da sie als Berufssportlerin (Primaballerina am Royal Ballett) es dank ihrem Gefühl für Bewegung und ihrer Grazie geschafft hat, eine wunderschöne Trainingseinheit für daheim zu schaffen. Ich warte mit Spannung auf die Fortsetzung ihres Trainings "Pilates for Life"!